Speakers

The main speakers at the Compact Annual Meeting 2008 are:

Dawn Butler MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office

Dawn Butler is Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet, Assistant Whip to HM Treasury and a member of the Modernisation of the House of Commons Committee. In October 2009, she was appointed Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement and became the first black woman to speak from the Despatch Box in the House of Commons during question time in December 2009. Dawn was elected as the Member of Parliament for Brent South in May 2005. Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, she was an Equality and Race Officer at the GMB and was also an advisor to Ken Livingstone on employment and social issues.

Simon Blake, Chair of Compact Voice and Chief Executive of Brook

Simon Blake is the Chair of Compact Voice, the independent body which represents the voluntary and community sector on taking forward the Compact. He is the Chief Executive of Brook, the leading voluntary sector provider of integrated sexual health services for young people across the UK, and was previously the Assistant Director of Children’s Development at the National Children’s Bureau.

Sir Bert Massie CBE, Commissioner for the Compact

Sir Bert Massie CBE became Commissioner for the Compact in April 2008. He has worked in the voluntary sector for 40 years and has served on a number of government advisory committees. He is a former Chairman of the Disability Rights Commission, Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and Chief Executive of RADAR, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation. Sir Bert was created a Knight in 2007 in recognition of his services to disabled people.

Councillor Sir Jeremy Beecham, Vice Chair of the Local Government Association (LGA)

Sir Jeremy Beecham is Vice Chair of the LGA and a former Chairman. He has been a Newcastle upon Tyne City Councillor since 1967 and was Leader the Council from 1977 to 1994. He has been President of the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) since 1995 and a member of the Cabinet Sub Committee on Modernising Local Government. He is Chairman of the Labour Party National Executive Committee, Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Tyne and Wear and is leading a review of local public services in Wales for the Assembly Government. He is Honorary President of Newcastle Age Concern, Newcastle Choral Society, and Vice President of Newcastle CVS and the Tyne and Wear Community Foundation.

 

Useful document

Speaker Biographies

Speech by Sir Bert Massie
Baseline Survey Research Briefing
Governement Progress Report
Compact Voice Impact Report